Salvation Army Dignity Within Reach for Christmas

The Salvation Army in Canada is supporting their annual Christmas Fill The Kettle drive with a television commercial and series of innovative bus shelter ads with the tag line, “With your donation, a sense of dignity is within reach.” Needy people are shown reaching for an actual loaf of bread, bottle of water and blanket, as well as for advertised can of soup and a coat. The campaign, created by Grey Canada, asks the public to put themselves in the place of the 3 million Canadians without access to everyday resources by illustrating that for many life’s basic necessities are out of reach. Funds raised in the Kettle drive will support social service programs that work to restore hope and dignity for vulnerable individuals during the Christmas season and throughout the year.

A 30-second commercial was shot during regular operating hours at a local supermarket, where an entire soup aisle was emptied except for a few cans of soup placed on the topmost shelves. The shoppers’ reactions were then filmed, and the resulting commercial is below:

Click on the image below to play the supermarket commercial in YouTube

The campaign also builds awareness for The Dignity Project, a campaign to be launched in February 2011. The Salvation Army will tell the stories of people who struggle with poverty to show Canadians what it means to live without dignity. Community events will also be held across the nation. Sleep in the park events, vigils for the poor and blanket giveaways are among the projects being planned to kick off the three-year Dignity Project.

“The Salvation Army believes that human dignity is a fundamental right for all. For most, living without dignity is a remote concept. However, for too many Canadians, the basic necessities of life required for human dignity are out of reach. Poverty is often the root cause, leaving 3 million Canadians without access to everyday resources such as food, clothing and shelter. We have developed The Dignity Project to inspire and educate the public about the challenges facing society’s most vulnerable people. We believe that together, we can address the dehumanizing scourge of poverty and injustice. We are asking all Canadians to join The Dignity Project – let’s restore hope and dignity. Watch for more information about The Dignity Project in the coming months.”

Click on the image below to play the Dignity Project teaser video in YouTube

Offline editorial was done at Relish, Toronto by editor Steve Manz, executive producer Kate Bate and assistant editor Sandy Coles. Sound and music were produced at Pirate Radio and Television, Toronto, by Tom Goudie. VFX were produced at 567VFX by Sam Banack. Transfer was done at Notch, Toronto, by Elaine Ford.

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